JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (May 7, 2014) - The ETSU women's soccer team enjoyed a successful, and high-scoring spring campaign. Competing against teams from across the regional area, the Bucs posted a 3-1-1 record in spring competition, outscoring their opponents by a combined 34-4 margin.

SPRING RESULTS

ETSU began spring play at Tusculum College, with the Bucs advancing to the semifinals of the indoor tournament. Later in the spring, the Bucs defeated Tusculum at Summers-Taylor Stadium, 7-0.

Saturday, March 29, the Bucs played host to some of the top teams in the region, welcoming Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Vanderbilt to Summers-Taylor Stadium. ETSU played ACC opponent Clemson to a 2-2 draw before suffering a narrow 2-0 setback to Vanderbilt of the SEC.

The Bucs then wrapped up spring play with a pair of dominating performances, outscoring Brevard College and Carson-Newman College by a combined 25-0 margin. ETSU handily defeated Brevard, 10-0, before beating Carson-Newman, 15-0.

QUOTES FROM COACH ADAM SAYERS

On spring objectives: "Firstly, part of our philosophy is to be tactically flexible, and we adjusted the shape and system of the team in a couple of different ways. This was relatively successful. As we expected, there were many positive aspects, but also some issues that will require more work. The change in systems affected the shape of the midfield significantly, and the players adapted to the new roles very well. We asked Emilee Englehaupt to play an unfamiliar role compared to where we have asked her to play the last few years, and she was great. Emilee is what we would term an unsung hero, so to speak. Given the position she plays, statistically she is rarely going to be given credit for the job she does – she plays very deep, and so is rarely far enough forward to be involved in goals or assists, and then doesn’t get credit defensively as she is a deep-lying midfield player, rather than a member of the back four. But she is invaluable for us in the role we ask her to play, and doesn’t get the credit or recognition she deserves. She does so much work consistently well throughout the game. Similarly, we saw Cecelia Re back to her best this Spring. She did very well in the Fall, while she was returning from a serious knee injury, and progressed very well. That progression continued into the Spring, and she demonstrated how she can control the tempo of the game from a deep position. She is a first-class player."

On rising sophomore Hannah Short: "We moved Hannah Short into a striking role. She has played there briefly for us before, but during the Spring games we played her in that position much more. And she showed what a lethal finisher she can be. She is a naturally talented and intelligent player, so her movement and decision-making was good from the start, but the amount of her chances that she finished was quite remarkable. 15 goals in total. Very impressive."

On starting strongly: "We also chose to focus on how well we start games, our tempo, attitude, concentration, and decision-making during the first 10-15 minutes of each half. This improved as we progressed through the Spring. Additionally, we wanted to increase the percentage of our chances that we take, and decrease individual errors, both of which I think we accomplished."

On returning talent: "Simona Koren scored her first few for us this Spring after a long time battling an injury, and they were some very well-taken goals. Summer Peterson did well at center back. Molly Collinson played a few different positions and did well. Jas Dutton performed consistently well at left back too. And Sarah Zadrazil maintained her usual high standards, again combining good performances on the field, strong academic work, and returning to Europe to play for Austria multiple times. There were many good performances from lots of players in addition to those mentioned. We are all thoroughly looking forward to the Fall and getting started with pre-season training in August. There is a lot of potential in the team. It is very exciting."

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